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	<title>The XM ChallengePosts &#8211; The XM Challenge</title>
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	<description>Help Plant 1,000 Churches</description>
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		<title>Fé, Fogo e os Esquecidos</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/fe-fogo-e-os-esquecidos/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/fe-fogo-e-os-esquecidos/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Aug 2025 18:02:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2745</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[Capítulo 1: Na Escuridão com a Direção Divina por Clenildo Campos Obs.: Alguns nomes foram alterados, mas a história permanece verdadeira. Na Escuridão Às três da madrugada, no dia 7 de março de 2025, o barco do pastor Clenildo cortava as águas cobertas de névoa do rio Xingu. Eles seguiam rumo a um território inexplorado [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Capítulo 1: Na Escuridão com a Direção Divina por Clenildo Campos Obs.: Alguns nomes foram alterados, mas a história permanece verdadeira. Na Escuridão Às três da madrugada, no dia 7 de março de 2025, o barco do pastor Clenildo cortava as águas cobertas de névoa do rio Xingu. Eles seguiam rumo a um território inexplorado [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2745</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Faith, Fire, and the Forgotten</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/faith-fire-and-the-forgotten/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/faith-fire-and-the-forgotten/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Aug 2025 17:20:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2741</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[Chapter 1: Into the Darkness with Divine Direction At three o&#8217;clock in the morning on March 7, 2025, Pastor Clenildo&#8217;s boat cut through the mist-covered waters of the Xingu River. They were headed into uncharted territory—places where no one had ever preached the Gospel before. The chill wind reminded him of childhood fishing trips with [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Chapter 1: Into the Darkness with Divine Direction At three o&#8217;clock in the morning on March 7, 2025, Pastor Clenildo&#8217;s boat cut through the mist-covered waters of the Xingu River. They were headed into uncharted territory—places where no one had ever preached the Gospel before. The chill wind reminded him of childhood fishing trips with [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2741</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Henry Thiessen&#8217;s Obituary</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/henry-thiessens-obituary/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/henry-thiessens-obituary/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2025 22:45:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2734</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[Uncle Henry was my childhood hero and a lifetime hero. He, along with his family and the Regions Beyond Missionary Union, planted churches in Borneo for 25 years. He passed away this week at the age of 96. Here is his obituary, written by his children. On August 1, 1929, Henry Thiessen was born, the [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Uncle Henry was my childhood hero and a lifetime hero. He, along with his family and the Regions Beyond Missionary Union, planted churches in Borneo for 25 years. He passed away this week at the age of 96. Here is his obituary, written by his children. On August 1, 1929, Henry Thiessen was born, the [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2734</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Beyond the Amazon: The Jungle, the Clearing, and the God Who Leads</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/beyond-the-amazon-the-jungle-the-clearing-and-the-god-who-leads/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/beyond-the-amazon-the-jungle-the-clearing-and-the-god-who-leads/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2025 13:41:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2731</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[When God&#8217;s whisper becomes a clear path The Amazonian heat pressed against me like a living thing, wrapping around my body and my thoughts alike. I sat alone, wondering — aching — for clarity about where my life was headed. Thousands of miles away from my beloved Santa Catarina, the longing to return home and [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[When God&#8217;s whisper becomes a clear path The Amazonian heat pressed against me like a living thing, wrapping around my body and my thoughts alike. I sat alone, wondering — aching — for clarity about where my life was headed. Thousands of miles away from my beloved Santa Catarina, the longing to return home and [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2731</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>What Teenagers, Egrets, and the Tree of Life Have in Common</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/what-teenagers-egrets-and-the-tree-of-life-have-in-common/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/what-teenagers-egrets-and-the-tree-of-life-have-in-common/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2025 13:38:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2729</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[Knock on the door. Plant the seed. Watch for where God is moving, and for what He is offering you.(This is what we&#8217;re seeing, even now.) Life is Good&#8230; Even NowWe have light for the next step.And we have a plan.Thanks to your prayers, Deanna completed two CAT scans Friday (with a third brain scan [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Knock on the door. Plant the seed. Watch for where God is moving, and for what He is offering you.(This is what we&#8217;re seeing, even now.) Life is Good&#8230; Even NowWe have light for the next step.And we have a plan.Thanks to your prayers, Deanna completed two CAT scans Friday (with a third brain scan [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2729</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>He is Risen &#8211; And So Is our Hope</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/he-is-risen-and-so-is-our-hope/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/he-is-risen-and-so-is-our-hope/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2025 13:35:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2727</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[Even in the valley of uncertainty, we are anchored by the One who overcame death. Early this Easter Sunday morning, Olivia (our second daughter), Zack, and baby Ellis arrived in Brazil to spend 20 days with us.Their arrival couldn’t have come at a better time. Our Hope&#160;Isaiah 8:12–13“You are not to say, ‘It is a [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Even in the valley of uncertainty, we are anchored by the One who overcame death. Early this Easter Sunday morning, Olivia (our second daughter), Zack, and baby Ellis arrived in Brazil to spend 20 days with us.Their arrival couldn’t have come at a better time. Our Hope&#160;Isaiah 8:12–13“You are not to say, ‘It is a [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2727</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Trusting God in the Valley</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/trusting-god-in-the-valley/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/trusting-god-in-the-valley/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2025 13:31:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2725</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[An Unexpected Turn –Dear friends,Early this morning, around 2 a.m., we received unexpected and difficult news: the pathologist confirmed that Deanna has breast cancer. We were shocked—but also grateful that Deanna has been diligent with her annual checkups.As we write this, it’s Good Friday. Tomorrow (Saturday), we’ll drive to Belém to pick up Olivia, Zack, [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[An Unexpected Turn –Dear friends,Early this morning, around 2 a.m., we received unexpected and difficult news: the pathologist confirmed that Deanna has breast cancer. We were shocked—but also grateful that Deanna has been diligent with her annual checkups.As we write this, it’s Good Friday. Tomorrow (Saturday), we’ll drive to Belém to pick up Olivia, Zack, [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2725</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Ripe Harvest</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/the-ripe-harvest/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/the-ripe-harvest/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2025 13:30:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2723</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[The Ripe HarvestWhile we were in Portugal, Clenildo and a team of Brazilian missionaries ventured up remote rivers they had never traveled before. Clenildo recounted his adventure to me (Note: I changed the names of all the people except Clenildo). &#8220;I wasn’t ready for what we’d find at the end of the Guajará River.We set out [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[The Ripe HarvestWhile we were in Portugal, Clenildo and a team of Brazilian missionaries ventured up remote rivers they had never traveled before. Clenildo recounted his adventure to me (Note: I changed the names of all the people except Clenildo). &#8220;I wasn’t ready for what we’d find at the end of the Guajará River.We set out [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2723</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Marabá and Other Places</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/maraba-and-other-places/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/maraba-and-other-places/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2025 13:28:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2721</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[Since the Cristovão Retreat in February—when Clyde and Kelsie, along with Phil and Jen, came to minister—the Marabá Church has felt a fresh wind of the Spirit. New baptisms, the birth of small groups, and a rise in attendance are reminding us: the gospel moves in waves. It surges, pauses, and then surges again—like the [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Since the Cristovão Retreat in February—when Clyde and Kelsie, along with Phil and Jen, came to minister—the Marabá Church has felt a fresh wind of the Spirit. New baptisms, the birth of small groups, and a rise in attendance are reminding us: the gospel moves in waves. It surges, pauses, and then surges again—like the [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2721</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Favorite Photos</title>
		<link>https://www.rickbergen.net/favorite-photos-64/</link>
		<comments>https://www.rickbergen.net/favorite-photos-64/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2025 13:26:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rick Bergen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.rickbergen.net/?p=2719</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[The laughter of children playing in our yard stirs memories of those golden years when our own filled this space with joy. Life moves swiftly—and just as we start to understand one season, we’re already stepping into the next. But when we give our best to the season we’re in, the good memories stack up—and [&#8230;]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[The laughter of children playing in our yard stirs memories of those golden years when our own filled this space with joy. Life moves swiftly—and just as we start to understand one season, we’re already stepping into the next. But when we give our best to the season we’re in, the good memories stack up—and [&#8230;]]]></content:encoded>
	

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				<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2719</post-id>	</item>
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